Recipe: Seppo's Miso Soup with Variations

MISO SOUP

"My miso soup is not traditionally Japanese, it is more from a gourmet American vegetarian miso soup."

I start by sauteing some ginger and/or garlic in sesame oil. I then add chopped onions. This is the basic recipe, you could stop here.

Optional vegetables to be added with water after the onion are sauteed are:
- carrots
- daikon (which I personally don't like because I think it adds a foul flavor to the soup but the Japanese use it)
- sweet potatoes cooked and mashed (this is delicious and gives a richer flavor)
- wakame, a seaweed (which I personally do not favor also because it's texture is slimy).

What to do with the miso?
After you saute the vegetables, you want to add water enough to cover them and boil them. To add the miso paste, take a small volume of liquid from the soup pot if you have enough soup quantity (if not,use some hot water) and add the miso to it through a sieve mashing it with a spoon or other utensil until it is dissolved. Start with small quantities and add more to taste. As I said earlier, I use both red and white miso - a little more miso.

An important note:
Do not allow the soup to boil once the miso has been added. It will kill the live bacteria which makes the miso healthy and it will also diminish the taste of the miso.

Keep it simple:
Onions, ginger, garlic, water bean sprouts and thinly sliced apples may be added when cooking is done.

Tip:
I have found that a small amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice added just before serving really enhances the flavor.

From: Seppo,NY - 10-06-97